The skibob, that funny-looking ski/bicycle hybrid from the 60s and 70s, is back on the scene. Silver Creek Resort, Colo., will introduce the Snowbike, a 90s version of the skibob, beginning in mid-December. “We had 12 acres of lighted slopes serviced by two lifts and we wanted to do something different with them,” said Gaylene Ore, the area’s marketing director. “There’s a popular tubing park about 15 minutes away, so we had to look for an alternative; we came up with the Snowbike.”
Silver Creek is leasing 50 Snowbikes from Rocky Mountain Snowbikes, which distributes for manufacturer Brenter Skibob KG Austria. The starting retail price is $1,200, but Roger Hollenbeck, president of Rocky Mountain Snowbike, says, “We will negotiate lease arrangements with individual resorts to fit their budgets and plans.”
Built like a bicycle on two in-line skis, the Snowbike permits riders to turn the front ski independently of the back. The rider sits on a bicycle-type seat, steers the handlebar with two hands and uses mini-skis on his or her feet as runners on either side for balance and stability. To stop, the rider turns the Snowbike and cuts into the mountain.
Ore describes the ride as “easy gliding downhill.” Though she admits she was worried at first about falling, “Once I got on, I didn’t feel like that at all. I was going about 10 to 15 miles per hour, with lots of turns back and forth across the slope.”
Silver Creek will rent Snowbikes for use on the lighted slopes by anyone over 13 years old between 5 and 9 p.m. During this first season, skiing will be off-limits on the Snowbike slope, although a separate lighted slope will be reserved for young skiers aged 6 to 12 during the same evening time period.
A $25 package will include equipment rental, a lift ticket and a lesson with an instructor certified by the North American Skibob Association (NASBA). The introductory lesson— mandatory for first-timers—will ensure that learners understand slope regulations, are familiar with the equipment and are able to load and unload the 20-pound Snowbike on and off lifts. After the lesson, the rider is issued a NASBA license corresponding to the level of expertise achieved which will be valid at any area renting Snowbikes.
No lift retrofitting is needed for customers to transport Snowbikes, though areas are advised to consult local tramway boards for specific regulations. Loading and unloading is taught in the introductory lesson to demonstrate the technique appropriate to the type of lift used. For example, on an aerial lift, the rider takes the outside seat position and rests the seat of the Snowbike on the armrest pointing uphill. The Snowbike can be collapsed and carried into a four-person gondola by removing the handlebar assembly.
Currently, the only other North American area boasting skibobs is Taos, N.M., where lift operators have been welding together their own homemade version for the past 20 years. Though it may not be as snazzy as the Snowbike, pieced together as it is out of extra pipe and old skis, they say it’s just fine for cruising down the slopes after a long day’s work. Don’t try to rent them, though—Taos skibobs are for lifties only.
